Christmas is in the Air

‘Tis the season to be jolly, right? Baking treats every night until after midnight for the kids’ schools, neighborhood parties, the office, etc.; adorning every square inch of your home with special homemade decorations; and spending 12 hours trapped in holiday traffic with an irritable spouse and three overly excited kids on the way to spend Christmas with the family. It’s enough to turn “Ho! Ho! Ho!” into “No! No! No!”

Maybe it’s time to rethink some of those Christmas traditions, especially if they’re getting in the way of actually enjoying the holiday. While traditions give us a sense of security in a changing world, experts agree that you can focus so hard on trying to make Christmas perfect and fun that it becomes a stressful chore instead of a celebration. According to Dr. Gail Saltz, a professor of psychiatry, you should “lower your expectations to what’s reasonable.”

“It’s all about setting priorities and understanding what’s really important,” says Rick Ruffolo, senior vice president of brand, marketing, and innovation at Yankee Candle Company. “Many of these traditions are how we relive and share special childhood memories of Christmas, like the aroma of your mom’s Christmas cookies in the oven, for instance. Fortunately, you can recreate that memory even if you don’t have time to bake yourself … simply light a Christmas Cookie candle and let the scent of buttery rich sugar cookies take you back home.”

There’s research to support this emotional relationship. A Brown University study shows that our experiences at the time determine our emotional response to a particular scent. Rachel Herz, the lead scientist of the study, says “when we like or don’t like a smell, that is learned.”

“Our sense of smell is intimately-linked to the brain’s emotion and memory functions, and it’s why scents can have such a strong impact on your state of mind and emotional well-being,” adds Ruffolo. “And that’s what we all really want during the holidays … that happy, warm feeling we call ‘the Christmas spirit.’”

Could it really be that simple?

“In some ways it can be,” Ruffolo explains. “For example, our Christmas Wreath scent is just like bringing in fresh pine boughs without the mess. Or, consider new Gingerbread … for some it’s a trip back in time to Grandma’s house. And, when you can’t physically go home for Christmas, warm spice scents like new Holiday Home Sweet Home and Home for the Holidays can still take you there … if only in your dreams. Even as traditions change because of changes in your life or work, these scents can help you balance these changes while still keeping you connected to the memories you hold dear.”

Whether you choose to bring fragrance home through candles, room sprays or electric home fragrance units, it sure seems like “scents-ible” advice. This year, why not rethink your holiday traditions and see if you can make them less frantic and more festive with fragrance, because Christmas really is in the air.

Merry Christmas!

Courtesy of ARAcontent